Bellbrook edges Brookville, needs one win to share SWBL title

Year 1 under coach Donnie Tate produced nine Southwestern Buckeye League losses for the Bellbrook boys basketball team.

Year 2? Nine wins.

In a meeting of teams peaking at tournament time, Bellbrook edged visiting Brookville 56-51 in a pivotal Southwestern Buckeye League game with title implications Friday. The Eagles ran their win streak to five and improved to 12-7 overall and 9-2 in the Southwestern Division. Bellbrook is tied with Franklin (16-5, 9-2) for first place.

Brookville, which had a five-game win streak snapped, fell to 13-7, 7-4. The Blue Devils beat Franklin for the first time in nine years last week (56-51).

Bellbrook can claim a share of its first league title since 2011 with a win at Eaton (1-20, 0-11) next Friday. The Eagles, SWBL champs seven straight years from 2005-2011, own 17 titles overall.

Franklin claims at least a share of its seventh straight SWBL title (2012-18) with a win at Valley View (8-10, 5-6) in the season finale.

“I thought we had a chance (to win the league when the season started), but to be honest, we didn’t even talk about it,” Tate said. “Our talk has always been ‘Focus on the tournament.’ We want to play 22 games, be at our best come tournament time and then try to do something special. If winning a league title along the way happens, great.”

Bellbrook won the first meeting with Brookville — the season opener for both on Dec. 1 — 55-41. In that game the Blue Devils scored four points in the first quarter and 2 in the third.

Friday played out similarly.

Brookville scored seven points in each of the first two quarters before exploding for 37 in the second half. Three times in the fourth quarter the Blue Devils trimmed Bellbrook’s lead to one-point. The Eagles answered each test.

Storm Painter and Donnie Crouch led Bellbrook with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Jake Gudorf scored a game-high 16 points for Brookville. Jesse McGriff and Wade Turner added 13 and 10.

Both schools are cresting heading into Sunday’s postseason draw.

Bellbrook is in the D-II Kettering sectional at Trent Arena where Dunbar, Fenwick and Thurgood Marshall appear the favorites.

“We’ve played a really good schedule,” Tate said. “We have seven losses and four are to Division I teams. We’re tournament tested.”

The Eagles’ recent postseason success has been limited. Bellbrook’s last district title came 24 years ago (1994) in Division III. Since winning its lone D-II sectional title in 2000, the Eagles own seven postseason victories. A gauntlet of Greater Catholic and Dayton City league schools has taken its toll.

In his first stint as a head coach, Tate, a former varsity assistant at Carroll (2014-16) and Beavercreek (2003-08), is stressing defense and shared beliefs. A new tradition features youth teams leading the varsity onto the court to start each home game. It’s worked. The Eagles are 9-1 at BHS.

“(Youth Director) Todd (Diorio) knew what changes needed to be made and he’s also a coach (third grade) so he can lead by example,” Tate said. “And then people can come watch us play and we’re leading by example. Ninety-nine percent of the time we’re playing man-to-man defense, so we’re practicing what we preach.”

Last year Bellbrook gave up 57 points per game. This year? 46.

Brookville is in a loaded D-III super sectional split between Butler and Northmont that includes Versailles, Anna, Bethel, Madison and Troy Christian.

“Teams that are going to be the 12-13 seed are going to have double-digit wins,” Brookville coach Jeff Davidson said. “Nothing is sacred.”

Graduation took eight seniors and seven of the top eight scorers from last year’s 21-win team that produced Brookville’s first sectional title in two decades. Following a 3-3 start, 10 ensuing wins have reignited anticipation and expectations. The Blue Devils have two seniors and eight juniors on the roster.

Brookville’s last SWBL title was in 1990.

“The group of guys we had last year set a bar that was pretty high and these guys have come in and are living up to that,” Davidson said. “They want to mimic the success that last year’s group had. Who knows what’s going to happen in the tournament? Hopefully we get ourselves into a position to have a little bit of leverage and make a decision that maybe gets ourselves to a sectional final again.

“These guys have exceeded a lot of people’s expectations.”

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